NCP welcomes SC verdict on Ayodhya issue

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday welcomed the mediation panel appointed by the Supreme Court (SC) in Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case and said the resolution of differences by consensus was in national interest.

A five-judge Consti-tution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Friday referred the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for mediation by a panel headed by retired Apex Court judge F M Kallifulla. The mediation panel, whose other members are spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, will explore the possibility of an amicable settlement. The SC gave the panel eight weeks to complete its proceedings.

In a statement issued in Marathi, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, “We welcome the appointment of the three-member mediation panel. If the dispute is resolved, it will be in national interest. The nation is hopeful that the issue would be resolved through consensus.”